The Best Tailor in Pinbauê

A boy with a skilled tailor for an uncle narrates this elegant and poignant story of the way industrialization reshapes a fictitious Brazilian town, the English-language debut for author-artist Toledo, herself born in Brazil. With his parents busy working, Edinho spends his days with Uncle Flores, who once sewed colorful clothing but now mainly creates gray overalls for the factory that transformed the village into a larger town, turned its river murky, and has left Pinbauê coated with dust most days. When the factory starts importing cheap uniforms from overseas, Uncle Flores is out of work, but with his nephew’s help he begins sewing vivid curtains that lead to bigger transformations and a renewed sense of community in Pinbauê. The interactions between Edinho and his uncle unfold with tenderness, but it’s Toledo’s arresting collages, created with exacting precision and striking attention to detail, that will captivate readers. Carefully constructed from cut, folded, and torn paper, as well as photographic elements, her subtly textured scenes bring readers intimately close to a changing way of life. An afterword thoughtfully discusses the story’s real-life influences. Ages 5–8. (Sept.)